Steam plant



July 17, 1928.

J. RUTHS STEAM PLANT Filed April 27, 1923 easily occur,

Patented July 17, 1923.

UNETE "STATES JOHANNES RUTHS, OF DJUBSHOLM, SWEDEN, .ASSIGNOR TOAKTIEBOLAGET VAPOR- ACKUMULATOR, OE S'IOCKHOL'M, SWEDEN, A CORPORATION.

STEAM PLANT.

Application filed April 27, 1923, Serial No. 635,143, and in Sweden June16, 1922.

Boilers without a special water reservoir and comprising for instanceone or more pipe-coils are previously known. Such boilers have anumberof great advantages. On account of the fact that they contain only avery small quantity of water they are capableof being fired up quickly.Owing to the small quantity of energy stored in such boilers theyinvolve little or no danger of explosion even at high pressures.Moreover, they are cheap in manufacture, occupy very little room, andhave other advantages.

Notwithstanding these advantages such boilers have found no extensiveuse on account of their operation also incurring great inconveniences.On account of the small content of water they can not be subjected toany appreciable variations of load. The pressure varies veryconsiderably also on the slightest variations in steam consumption aswell as in the supply of fuel, which often has a detrimental effect onthe consumers supplied with steam from such boilers. On a suddendischarge of steam, dry boiling may and on the whole it is verydiflicult to maintain the water level within allowable limits.Consequently,- the management of such boilers is very difficult, in thatthe fire as well as the feeding must be alv tered even on the slightestvariations, by rea-.

son of which the combustion will always be very incomplete. Moreover, asthe said boilers lack surface of evaporation, the steam is always verywet, and it may easily happen on. sudden rises in the discharge of steamthat water is entrained into the steam piping where it may cause greatdamage. In order to remove these drawbacks to some extent such boilersare subjected to only a small load, but the costs of installation willthen, on the other hand, become too high, witl out the inconveniencesbeing entirely removed for all that, and therefore such boilers areseldom found in practice.

The present invention has for its object to remove these drawbacks insuch a way that the advantages connected with such boilers may be fullyutilized.

The invention consists in connecting a plurality of such boilers to acommon well insulated steam storer (water collector and steam separator)separated from the boilers in such a way that the water content of thestorer is caused to pass through said boilers to be heated therein,whereupon the heated water mixed with steam is returned to the storerfrom which steam is drawn off to steam consumers, the storer beingpreferably arranged above said boilers.

This storer is preferably constructed as a receptacle which is filledfor the most part with water and is well insulated for protectionagainst radiation of heat.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawing which illustrates diagrammatically a plantaccording to the invention.

In this drawing a designates the boilers formed as pipe-coils. 0 is thestorer filled with water up to the level d. The boilers a are connectedwith one another by means of a piping 6 through which water is suppliedfrom the storer. In said piping, a pump 7 may be inserted, therebyensuring a rapi circulation of the water through the coils. Moreover, bymeans of pipes g, the boilers a are all connected to a piping it throughwhich the water heated in the boilers is returned to the storer. Thispiping opens preferably in a series of nozzles consider ably below thelowest water level of the storer so that the steam bubbles entrained arecondensed in the water of the storer. From the storer, steam is drawnoff to the steam consumers through the piping Z7. The storer is furtherprovided with an insulation 1.

Thus, it is not steam but water, or water mixed with steam, that isprincipally discharged from the boilers. The boilers are thereforealways under water and ger of dry boiling is eliminated. Further, theregulation of the water level, which in boilers of this kind isparticularly difficult to effect, and thus the risks involved thereby,are also entirely eliminated. drawn ofi from the steam space of thestorer can always be obtained in dry condition owing to the surface ofevaporation in the storer being very great. On account of the greatwater content of the storer extremely great variations in the steamconsumption and the fuel supplymay also be equalized. Whether variationsin the steam consumption are present or not, it will thus be possible tooperate the firing insuch a way that the best possible economy ofcombustion is attained.

The boilers a shown in the drawing in the form of pipe-ooils arepreferably provided all dan- The steam with g ate areas 19 separatedfrom each other so that one or more boilers may be shut down or startedrespectively, it required, this being accomplished by means of valves'0.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi the UnitedStates of America is 1. A steam generator comprising a plurality ofwater tube boilers, conduits connecting said boilers for parallel.operation, a common supply pipe and a con'ui'ion dis charge pipe forsaid boilers connected to said conduits, independent tires for each ofsaid boilers for iarately generating steam therein a. Well-insulatedstorer comprisin a large receptacle having a water content or surlicientcapacity to permit firing of the boilers independently of Variations ofsteam demand and to permit storing; oi? surplus steam by rise ofpressure, said storer being inopen unrestricted communication with saidcommon supply and discharge pipes, a discharge device in the Water spaceof said storer connected to said common discharge pipe, means to conductWater from said storer to said common supply pipe, and

means for taking out dry steam tromuaid storer.

2. A steam generator comprising a pluralit of ii we coil Water tubeboilers conduits at the ends of the coils connecting said boilers forparallel operation, a con'm'ion supply pipe and a common discharge pipefor said boilers, connected to said conduits, in dependent fires foreach'ot said boilers for separately generating steam therein, aWellinsulated storer comprising a large receptaole having a. Watercontent of sufficient capacity to permit firing ot' the boilersindependently of variations of steam demand and to permit storing ofsurplus steam by rise of pressure, said storer being in openunrestricted communication With said commen supply and discharge pipes,a discharge device in the Water space of said storer con: nected to saidcommon discharge pipe,-me ans to conduct Water from said storcr to saidcommon supply pipe, and means fortaking out dry steam from said storer.i

In testimony WhereofI my signature.

JoHANNnsRUTHs.

